


around the sun

by kurgaya



Category: One Piece
Genre: Agender Character, Alternate Universe - Future, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 14:38:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15463590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurgaya/pseuds/kurgaya
Summary: Luffy wore Roger’s hat like a warning, like a jolly roger woven from golden thread and straw. Now they are without it, and its absence warns of a power that its presence could never suggest.They miss it. But Luffy knows it was never theirs to miss.[Post-canon. A peaceful return to Foosha Village].





	around the sun

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 [zoluweek](http://zolu-week.tumblr.com/). Prompt was "subtle".

It is only fitting, Luffy supposes, that they return to Foosha Village in a rickety, little sailboat. The Sunny is safely tucked away in a quiet pocket of the sea, waiting for her crew to return. She deserves the rest after her galiant voyage, Merry’s ram heart slumbering in the depths of Sunny’s decks. Together, they have sailed the world and back; from East Blue and a merry beginning to Raftel and a sun-struck, golden end. Sunny carries Raftel’s winds in her sails. The sea waves now part at her will, and it’s as though the ocean currents are hers to guide alone. Her crew are free to claim the world, but it’s the thought of _home_ that claims them, and it’s to their beginnings that they go.

Sat at the stern of the little boat, the wind _whooshes_ over Luffy’s shoulders and into the sail. In front, the green pastures of Foosha Village bask in the afternoon sun. Windmills watch the hills and turn with the lazy breeze. The village is the creams and greens that Luffy remembers, and they smile as the seawind guides the boat in. The world may have overturned to seawater and gold, but there is peace here at Foosha as there is all across the East Blue sea.

“Land ho!” Luffy shouts, and as they bounce up to the bow to point the way ahead, they spring over Zoro, blinking blearily as he wakes from a nap. “Hey, hey, Zoro, we’re almost there! D’you think they’ll be surprised to see us?”

Luffy hopes so. They haven’t had any contact with Foosha Village since they left almost four years ago. They’re sure that Makino and Dadan and everyone read the papers, but Luffy hasn’t spoken to their adoptive family at all. They bounce back across the boat, brimming with excitement. Zoro yawns and stretches, and the boat is so small that they almost collide.

“Try not to crash into the dock this time,” Zoro says as the waves slow to a coastal sway. The boat rocks at the whim of the wind and the beach pulls it closer, deep water shallowing to miles of sandy bays.

Luffy laughs, crow’s feet wrinkling around their eyes. Their first scar tugs up as they laugh; it’s such an old, little thing, but Luffy doesn’t regret it or anything at all. “That was one time! Franky pulled us out fine.”

Franky was blubbering with tears the whole time, but that was probably because Nami’s fiery temper had nearly burned the entire dock down.

“And Franky’s not here,” Zoro replies, but he’s smiling at the memory. It’s hard not to smile at their shenanigans, especially now, with a tranquil future promised by a war-struck past. Or, as tranquil as one gets with the Straw Hat crew, and Luffy and Zoro share a laugh.

Raftel will always be Roger’s - but the One Piece is theirs.

Foosha Village is quiet compared to the rest of Luffy’s world. Salt air meets the sweet of the fields. The village seems unchanged since their departure, and Luffy walks the familiar paths with the familiar _slap_ of their shoes. Flip-flops are hardly the shoes to conquer the world (although they did and they will, whenever Luffy pleases), but they are perfect here in the soft of the sand and the gold of the stone. Zoro follows behind with the harsh _clack_ of his boots, and there is no question that he’s of the Pirate King’s crew, bandana at his arm and swords at his hip. Luffy looks like a civilian in their high-waisted shorts and tee. They wore Roger’s hat like a warning, like a jolly roger woven from golden thread and straw. Now Luffy is without it, and its absence warns of a power that its presence could never suggest.

They miss it. But Luffy knows it was never theirs to miss.

“Where’re we heading?” Zoro asks, focused solely on the destination as usual. Foosha Village is somewhere he’s never been, and yet it’s Luffy’s will that he watches instead of the pink-stone houses and the windmills as they roll. He’s always a step behind Luffy in everything: even love, Luffy thinks, brightening up with a grin.

“Let’s start at Makino’s bar!” they announce, finding Zoro’s hand to tug him along. It won’t do for Zoro to get lost, even if Luffy knows the village inside and out. They imagine Zoro wandering into Dadan’s territory and shudder, predicting chaos and fistfights and no small amount of hugs. Zoro’s so tetchy about hugs. Dadan won’t care.

“There’s usually lots of people in Makino’s bar,” Luffy explains. “That’s where I ate my Devil Fruit! Shanks was really mad. It’s where I got this scar too!”

“Huh,” says Zoro - he must not have known that. “A bar sounds good.”

Of course it does; it’s Zoro. Luffy never developed a taste for alcohol, not even after spending so many hours solely with Zoro, eating and drinking and brawling with pirates over tabletops and bars. Shanks would laugh if he saw Luffy still chugging orange juice amidst a pub full of beer. Nostalgia rushes through them at the thought, and it only deepens like the drop of the seabed into abyss as they approach the Partys Bar.

Luffy pauses and tips their head back to read the sign. Someone has painted it anew and now the teeth marks that Luffy left are nowhere to be seen. Makino had screamed when she saw Luffy up on the roof, but Shanks had just laughed and said to leave them to it. That’s the only time Luffy remembers Makino snapping at Shanks, and Shanks’ abashed surrender had been absolutely worth the scolding.

“Think I can smell cider,” Zoro says, sniffing the air like a hound. He lets go of Luffy’s hand to shove their shoulder instead. “And bacon. Come on.”

Zoro’s right. They came here to answer the call of their homes, and there’s no use waiting around outside.

The bar is packed with fishermen and townsmen and families alike. Luffy stretches out of the way of a toddler that comes charging past, grinning at the easy _click_ of cutlery against tables and the slide of beer glasses across the bar. Laughter bounces around the bar. People chat and cheer as the afternoon sun wanes into the sea; Luffy slips through the crowd with ease, unnoticed but for the people stepping out of Zoro’s way.

A familiar array of bounty posters hang framed on the far wall. Luffy grins at the straw-hatted face in their photo, feeling the scratch of the straw against their neck even now. They spring onto a barstool and stretch their neck right over the counter, finding Makino knelt down to reach the bottles at the back. The man on the next stool startles so violently that he sloshes beer all over his lap, and if his bellowing curse doesn’t still the ruckus of the pub, then Makino screaming and yanking Luffy straight over the bar definitely does.

“Oh my gosh - _Luffy_?”

Makino laughs, crying with her joy. Her hug would be tight enough to strangle any man, but Luffy is rubber and they hug back just as fiercely, lifting Makino right off her feet. Exclamations of astonishment and calls of Luffy’s name ring out across the pub, and suddenly there is a crowd of people around the bar, the Mayor Woop Slap swatting knees with his walking stick to make it to the front.

“Young man -!” the Mayor starts to criticise, only to notice Zoro sitting at the bar. He jabs his walking stick at Zoro instead, apparently deciding that he’s the easier target. There are few people in the world that will challenge Zoro over Luffy, and Luffy laughs over the sound of Makino’s blubbering laughter as Zoro struggles not to react. “Didn’t I say that pirates only bring trouble? Aren’t you supposed to stop your captain from doing anything absurd? Flipped the World Government on its head, they did! And where were you when they challenged Mary Geoise?”

“Oh, Zoro was there,” Luffy chimes, finally setting Makino back down. They fetch a pile of napkins from the counter so that she can wipe her eyes.

“You can try stopping Luffy if you want,” Zoro says, pushing the Mayor’s walking stick away. Laughter bounces around the crowd and somebody slaps Zoro’s shoulder in comradery. He stiffens but allows the rambunctious crowd to jostle and cheer as they wish. Were he surrounded by friends, he would be shoving back just as good-naturedly, but it’s been a long, terrible while since the Straw Hat crew were safe.

“I almost didn’t recognise you without your hat,” Makino says, drawing most of Luffy’s attention back. Her eyes are puffy and red, and she fusses with her skirt and apron now that she’s back on her feet. “You should’ve told us you were coming!”

“Aha, but where’s the fun in that?” Luffy asks, squeezing her tighter. “You got any bacon? Zoro smelt bacon.”

Makino laughs and shoos them away. “Sit down, sit down. I’ll plate something up. Beer for your friend? Do you want juice or…?”

“Juice,” Luffy confirms, and Makino laughs once again before kissing them on the head. She disappears into the kitchen with a spring in her step and Luffy bounces back into the swamp of the crowd, sweeping them all into a hug. They all groan and laugh and spill beer all over the floor, but it’s worth it to hear them cheer. _Good to see you_ and _you rascal_ cut through the laughter, and Luffy grins even as the Mayor clocks them with his cane.

“You’re a fool and a pirate and you’re _just_ like that ridiculous grandfather of yours,” the Mayor grumbles, wagging the cane under Luffy’s nose. His expression is fierce despite Luffy’s cross-eyes, but then it softens almost reluctantly as the Mayor sighs. “But you’ve done us proud, kid.”

He claps Luffy on the shoulder before hobbling back across the pub, herding the other patrons as he goes.

“So _this_ is why you’re so touchy-feely,” Zoro says as Luffy settles back at the bar. His face scrunches around the word _touchy-feely_ as though the mere concept baffles him. It probably does, but he's been with Luffy long enough to experience it on both a platonic and intimate level. This doesn't appear to have changed his mind on the matter at all.

Luffy smiles all teeth and gums, and then smiles even more as Makino sets a mountain of fried food and a jug of orange juice down before them. Zoro's plate isn't quite as large, but it's still a reasonable guess as to how much he eats. She supplements this with a bottle of beer, which Zoro accepts with a mumbled _thanks_ before ripping the cap off with his teeth. Makino isn't fazed at all.

“Is it just the you two?” she asks, now that there is space to breathe around the bar. She looks like she's one breath away from crying again, but they are happy tears, so Luffy doesn't mind.

“Ah, yep. Everyone else has gone home for a while! We're gonna go up and see Dadan an’ everyone too.”

They miss their crew already, but as long as everyone is safe and happy with their families, then Luffy is happy too. They don't have any idea where Robin is right now as the Revolutionary Army came and whisked her away, but as long as she's with Sabo then Luffy doesn't need to worry.

If Makino’s disappointed about not meeting the whole crew, then she doesn't say anything. “You can stay here for as long as you like. I'm afraid I've only got one spare room, now, as Akihito has the other...”

Sharing a room with Zoro is the opposite of a problem. Zoro mumbles a soft assurance that has Makino glancing between them, a question dazzling in her eyes. She doesn’t voice it, but her lips turn up into a knowing smile.

“Akihito?” Luffy asks through a mouthful of food, drawing attention away from Zoro’s reddening ears. An egg slips down their chin and they slurp it up, asking, “Who's that?”

Makino’s eyes twinkle. “My son.”

Luffy nearly coughs the egg back up again. They leap up from the stool, hands slapping down onto the counter. The plates clatter. Zoro's the only man at the bar wise enough to lift his drink before Luffy slams their hands down. “You have a SON? Where? WHEN? HOW?? Wh - who's the dad? Is he _here_? I'll beat him up.”

Some of the patrons nearby laugh. Luffy whirls around, scanning the crowd for someone worthy enough for Makino and finding nothing but a bunch of good-natured drunks. Makino's important and she deserves the _best_ , and Zoro sighs as he yanks Luffy back into their chair.

“Akihito’s two,” Makino says with all of the pride of a mother. She only smiles at Luffy's threat, but the weight of her eyes is sad. Unlike the rest of the bar, she knows that they're serious about punching Akihito’s father - she dealt with Luffy, Ace, and Sabo as children, after all. “He's running around here somewhere. He likes to hide under the tables and scare my customers. He definitely didn't get that from me.”

Luffy just frowns, jaw ticking. Zoro's hand at their back prevents them from jumping up again, but they want to. Makino's practically their third mother, so if she's dating a guy, does that make him Luffy’s father too?

“Luffy,” Makino says softly, and she lays her hands over theirs. “Akihito's father is special to me. You'll like him, I promise.”

Her smile is almost _teasing_. Luffy cocks their head, trying to understand the joke. They _trust_ Makino, but they've hit or wanted to hit enough fathers over the years that they can't shake the wariness. Makino squeezes their hands tighter and opens her mouth to say something, but movement just behind Luffy catches her attention. Luffy swivels too, coming face to face with the small, round-cheeked two year old that they almost fell over upon entering the bar.

It's a good thing they didn't bring any Devil Fruits with them, Luffy realises, their jaw falling slack.

“Akihito, this is Luffy and Zoro. Say hello.”

Akihito blinks big, dark eyes. They're his mother's eyes for sure, but his most striking feature is that he definitely doesn't have his mother's hair. Luffy laughs, startled but pleased, and Akihito inches closer so that he's standing right next to Luffy's stool. His gaze is curious, fearless, and his eyes flick between Luffy and Zoro. Zoro tries for a smile and grimaces, but Akihito's attention is already elsewhere. He squints at Luffy, probably looking for their signature hat, and asks with all of the confidence of a child:

“Are you the Pirate King?”

And Luffy's face splits open with a grin.

 

 

 

Evening settles over the village. The sunlight retreats into the floorboards and the cracks in the walls, waiting as moonlight slips like a curious cat into Partys Bar. Luffy and Makino talk into the night, their conversation interrupted only by handfuls of coin on the counter and Akihito falling asleep against Luffy’s leg. Makino titters guilty as she carries her son up to bed, but the pause allows Luffy to turn to Zoro, who has sat patiently at their side all night. Zoro’s eyes crinkle when he spots Luffy staring, and he smiles around the rim of the pint glass as he chugs down the last of the froth.

“She’s gonna have her hands full with that kid,” Zoro comments, more for the conversation rather than any particular interest in children. There is something about him that children seem to adore, and if Zoro could work out what it is, he would no doubt turn it off.

Luffy smiles. They haven’t stopped smiling all afternoon. “I’m glad Zoro’s here with me. Even if he has been really quiet all day.”

Zoro shrugs, but there’s a hint of pink to his cheeks, a dusting of Sakura Kingdom’s cherry blossom snow. He hasn’t been this anti-social since the beginning of their voyage together, when the ocean was a divine and most dangerous force, and the One Piece was a speck of gold on an unfathomable sea. Overturning Raftel and the World Government had challenged the Straw Hats beyond anything they’d ever faced, and the battle has left its scars.

Luffy is lucky that they’d only lost a hat. Some of their crew have lost more.

“D’you think everyone else got home okay?”

“‘Course,” Zoro replies, propping himself up against the counter. They’re the only two people on the bar stools now, and Luffy swings back and forth on theirs, their knees knocking Zoro’s each time. “Everyone can take care of themselves. We’ll see them all soon.”

Three months until they reunite at Alabasta. Luffy’s going to hug Vivi for _hours_ and they’re absolutely not going to share. But three months seems like such a long time, and Luffy is glad that they’re not alone. It’s convenient that Zoro hails from Dawn Island as well, although Luffy knows their Zoro well enough to imagine that he would have travelled with them anyway.

“Should’ve bought your brother,” Zoro mumbles, half asleep with his head in his hand. His single gold earring dangles between his fingers. The second earring he lost to Raftel; the third he gave away.

“Ah, I don’t wanna be here with Dadan kills Sabo,” Luffy admits, sucking in their bottom lip. “It’ll be real messy. It’s gonna be messy anyway - we probably shouldn’t stay with Dadan long.”

Dadan’s probably going to leave them out in the forest to defend for themselves anyway. _Just like before,_ Luffy thinks, only now _they’re_ the top predator on the mountain. They survived on Amazon Lily and they defended Raftel. The animals on Mt. Colubo are ants in comparison - and Dadan is a demon from hell.

“That bad, huh?” Zoro drawls.

 _Worse_ , Luffy thinks. “I’d rather face dad again. Both of them.”

“Could be fun,” Zoro says, because imminent death is nothing else. Luffy really has the best crew in the world. “I’m not surprised your family’s all just as crazy as you.”

Luffy opens their mouth to deny it, but there’s nothing to be said. Zoro kicks them playfully, smugly, _I told you so_ , and Luffy kicks him back while racking their brain for someone in their family who’s sensible. “ _Makino’s_ normal.”

Zoro barks a laugh. “Are you kidding? She’s banging one of the -”

“The spare room’s all ready for you boys,” Makino says, appearing at the bottom of the stairs. Luffy and Zoro both swivel around to attention as though they’re not two of the most feared pirates in the world, and Makino smiles, all too aware of her power. “Just give me a shout if you need anything.”

“Yes mum,” Luffy chimes - and Zoro mumbles _huh, so this is what it’s like_.

 

Three lazy weeks pass. Foosha Village is a relic of peace, unchanging in the corner of the sea. The waves of war didn’t reach this far: counting cobbles on the main street and trekking far, far into the fields to the windmills feels like a dream. It wasn’t so long ago that Luffy lived here, tasted the sea salt air on the beach and leapt rooftops over the town. They are ecstatic to bring Zoro into the place of these memories, but no matter the people they talk to or the distance they explore, the village doesn’t share the feelings of home.

Sunny is home. Foosha Village is idyllic and Sunny is not - she’s hard wood and nails and cannonballs through her hull. She’s the smell of Sanji cooking and Usopp experimenting in his lab. She’s the flush of Nami’s orange trees and Robin’s hands scattering across the deck. Foosha Village is quiet without Brook, and Chopper, and Franky firing lasers from the stern. _At least Zoro is here_ , Luffy laments, guarding his sleep as the village cats yowl and scrimmage outside. Sleeping in shifts is another habit they’ve yet to break. Makino doesn’t question it, appreciating the help with rounding a restless Akihito back into bed. Children sleep just as weirdly as Zoro, Luffy realises, and while they’re never going to mention that to Zoro, Makino muffles a laugh.

The wind yearns to carry Luffy onwards, but they stay. For Makino and the townspeople, for little Akihito and even Zoro - wary even in the night, ever-watchful for war - Luffy digs their sandals into the sand and stays. It isn’t the life they choose. But they can live it for a little a while. There are beautiful days - many, many beautiful days. And there are half-days laid up in bed, eating little and saying less. Luffy sleeps with their head on Zoro’s chest, and Zoro sleeps with one hand clutching his swords. An ambush is unlikely here, but this is the Pirate King’s childhood abode and a Yonko’s holiday home, and Luffy’s seen too much of the world to count anything out.

“Meeting you was worth it,” Zoro mumbles, breath tickling over their hair.

(It’s _I love you_ in the best kind of way).

Eventually, it’s time to face Dadan and the sun. They leave with promises to return - sooner rather than later, depending on Dadan’s temper. Makino hugs Luffy long and hard and wishes them well, and little Akihito clings onto Zoro’s leg with a will that rivals his father. The Mayor comes to see them off too, and soon there is a crowd of people shoving supplies into their hands.

The trek up to Mt. Colubo is a long one. Fields give way to grasslands, and grasslands to woods. Luffy could walk this path in their sleep. The market road over the mountain to Goa and beyond is the safer route, but there’s hardly any fun in that. Luffy leads Zoro into the heart of the woods where the bears are gigantic and the honeybees even more so. The hives are worth their weight in gold if you know where to find them. Zoro can’t find his way in a straight line, but he can find wherever Luffy needs to go.

“You don’t _need_ the honeycomb,” Zoro argues, bonking Luffy’s head with the hilt of a sword.

Luffy just smiles, pressing their cheek into Zoro’s. They’ve already won this argument and they both know it, but Zoro is stubborn to the last. “Aha, yeah I do,” Luffy says. “I always need things I like! Like Zoro!”

Zoro shakes his head but finds the honeycomb within the hour. Luffy clings onto his shoulders the entire time, singing the woodland folk song into his ear. Some people would hold hands if they walked together, but Luffy finds this much more fun.

Reaching the Dadan family’s territory is _less_ fun.

First, there is a rumble like a rhinoceros charging down the mountain. The trees quiver and the birds flee. The only border to Dadan’s territory is the line between stupid animals and the sane, and even the jungle cats hibernate at the sound of her name. The quaking ground isn’t enough to faze Zoro, but it instills a primal terror in Luffy’s heart. They learnt to hunt out in the wilderness with their brothers, chasing tigers and crocodiles and the river’s relentless way, but it was in Dadan’s home that they learnt how to hide.

“Uh, Zoro and Dadan probably aren’t going to get along,” Luffy warn, cracking their knuckles. They can hear Dadan seething already like lava down the mountainside. They plant their feet, drop their stance. One arm winds back in preparation for a fight. “And she hates pirates.”

The mountain roars. Zoro throws his hands up into the air. “You tell me this _now_?”

Luffy could kiss that stupid look right off of Zoro’s face. They have done many times before.

Then Dadan and her legion of bandits storm through the trees. They are a stampede, boots thundering and swords held high. Dadan leads them with axe in hand. Familiar and unfamiliar faces blur into sight, but it’s the hurricane-curly hair framing Dadan’s fury that Luffy tracks. Livid or relieved, it’s hard to tell with Dadan, but she is intent of them. Anger is all that Luffy recognises on her face, but despite themself, despite the swords and the guns and despite the imminent shouting and fighting and hugging, they find themself _grinning_.

“ _YOU_ ,” Dadan bellows, axe raised, eyes alight.

The _uh oh_ is Luffy’s. The click, _shusink_ , is Zoro slicing through Dadan’s favourite necklace, bubblegum-pink beads scattering through the trees. She shrieks, the bandits shriek, and Sandai Kitetsu shrieks as Zoro sweeps it under Dadan’s neck. In his other hand, Wadō Ichimonji’s pearlescent blade gleams like a crack of lightning thrown down onto the mountain, paralysing the bandits where they stand.

Luffy laughs and laughs and _laughs_.

“You Dadan?” Zoro drawls, as though there’s any question that he’s drawn a blade on Luffy’s foster mother. The last of Dadan’s necklace slumps from her shoulders like a soggy sausage roll. She watches it fall with a stoney expression and the bandits around her wince as it slops into the dirt.

There are tears in Luffy’s eyes.

The bandits take a collective step back, but Dadan is crazy enough to meet Zoro’s stare. “You run away after all those years,” she grunts, batting - _batting_! - Sandai Kitetsu away. That Zoro doesn’t truly wish to hurt her is the only reason that the sword doesn’t bite. Dadan glowers at Luffy now, who’s still doubled over with glee. “And all the thanks I get is _another_ brat?”

“Hey, don’t lump me in with their brothers,” Zoro barks, jabbing Wadō at her. The bandits take another step back. “Who d’you think I am?”

Luffy wheezes. “Zoro’s my swordsman! And I didn’t bring him here, he’s from the other side of the mountain!”

Dadan _uh-huhs_. That she hasn’t tried to knock heads off with her axe yet is incredible. “So you weren’t brave enough to face me alone, is that it?”

“Nope!” Luffy says, popping the ‘p’. They scrub away the tears on their face, cheeks reddening. “I’m never alone anymore! Isn’t that great? I’ve got Zoro an’ everyone and friends all across the world! Vivi’s a princess and Shirahoshi’s a crybaby but she’s a princess too. And there’s the giants and the minks and Sabo and everyone at the Revolutionary -”

“ _Speaking_ of that other brat,” Dadan interrupts, and Luffy sucks in their lips at their mistake. The bandits are almost halfway across the mountain by now. “Why isn’t he here?”

Luffy’s never had any sense of self-preservation and they’re not about to start now. Lying never crosses their mind. “He was scared.”

It’s true. The transponder snail had blubbered tears all over the deck.

A vein pops on Dadan’s forehead. Luffy laughs and sticks out their tongue, just like they used to all those years ago. Dadan was just as big as scary then, and Luffy’s not bigger or scarier at all.

“How long were we planning on staying here?” Zoro asks.

Luffy rocks forward onto their toes. _Not long_ , they think; Zoro knows them too well. They coil one arm around Zoro’s waist, offering Dadan a cheery wave. Their other arm rockets deep into the forest, a spring-loaded blur to fling them northwards, upwards, from the memories in the trees. “Bye Dadan, BYE EVERYONE. It was great seeing you, I missed you, we’re totally not gonna stick around -”

Zoro snorts with laughter. Luffy finally takes the chance to kiss him, open-mouthed against the curve of his neck, and then they catapult away with a _whooooosh_ that knocks even Dadan over in surprise.

“HEY ZORO, WHICH WAY’S YOUR HOUSE?” Luffy bellows over the rush of the wind and the sky, a green world crashing free into a jumble of golden fields and distant, almighty tide. Their hat used to soar in the wind behind them, the string securing it safe around their neck. Sometimes pieces of straw would rip free, scattering Luffy’s treasure over the world. Now the hat is gone, but Luffy has a single, golden pendant on a string-loop necklace instead. It kisses their chin and ear as they sail over Dawn Island, but Luffy never worries about it slipping free.

“THAT WAY,” Zoro shouts - and he could mean _any_ way this close to the sky. But it’s good enough for Luffy; they trust Zoro, so it’s “that way” that they go.

Poor Koshiro has no idea what's coming.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Any and all comments are appreciated :)


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